Portland (Oregon) to North America River Cruise Reviews

July 8-11: Pre-Cruise First: my wife (“The Missus”) and I had a taste of river cruising almost a decade ago, sailing up the Danube on Ama Waterways. We had a fabulous time. But it’s a PITA to get from the West Coast to Europe. We’ve been on over forty ocean cruises on various cruise lines. We had never sailed the byways of North America. This was our reason to try American Queen. Not so ...

We had not traveled in over 2 years and wanted to do something "manageable" given some of our age/mobility issues. While we have taken 20 cruises throughout the years, this was the first completely American one - American built ship, all U.S.A. ports, etc. The ship is lovely and beautifully appointed. It manages to include many of the amenities one would find on a larger ship: small library, ...

We enjoyed enjoyed exploring the Columbia River Gorge. A riverboat is an excellent way to get to see this part of country. From other passengers that had been on American Cruise Lines I would hear consistently that they had good experiences on some of the companies other trips. However, anyone booking on this ship should be aware that this a very old and barely maintained boat. The boat is ...

In November I traveled with a small group of 10 on the American Empress steamboat-style Cruise. The group absolutely LOVED the trip and the ship! The food was incredible- truly top notch! We even had lobster tail! The meals were always artfully prepared and served by the kindest, warmest staff I’ve encountered on a cruise ship. Every meal was an event. During our scenic rides cruising the ...

Pre-cruise at Red Lion Jansen beach hotel,$ 40 cab ride from airport ,very large hotel,nice rooms ,good restaurant,boat docks at hotel,free breakfast on day of embarkation.Some confusion on day of embarkation.Onboard welcome and lunch on boat,crowded. Had room 404 on deck 4 forward,large room, quiet,nice veranda,small but,usable.Was liformed by others that lower deck cabins were noisy at ...

We spent much more money and had much less value than we have on other cruises. The food was mediocre at best. They charge for WIFI and do not include even house wine during cocktail hour/briefings. The cabins were fine and the ship appeared clean. However, for the cost, the expectation is high. They seem to pin most of their value on the on-board naturalists. They were fine, and the ...

I had always wanted to take this cruise of the Columbia River. The scenery and history was so interesting and the ship was lovely. Being a small ship with 184 passengers, everything was close. The staff was young and very hard-working and did an excellent job. The food was great and plentiful. The history of the area, following the path of Lewis and Clark, was fascinating and the geology and ...

We chose this particular cruise for location/itinerary and the fact that it included a new riverboat. It was a very pleasant cruise overall; but there was some room for improvement. The crew/staff was especially friendly and helpful from the captain to the officers to the servers and housekeeping staff. The dining room and snack food was tasty, plentiful and frequent, but not at a gourmet level ...

We wanted to experience the pacific northwest and travel with some good friends. The literature advertised this as upscale, all inclusive. We've taken many ocean cruises (15+) but never a river cruise anywhere. I'm not sure I'd say this is upscale, and I'm not convinced its worth the additional monies versus what you'd pay for a large vessel cruise. The Hop On/Hop Off bus is a nice feature, as ...

Great comfortable cabin on nearly new ship, but open closet hanging space is limited. Lectures were good and musical entertainment was generally adequate, we came prepared with own DVD's. Shore excursion to Mt St Helens required 90 minute bus ride for 60 minute visit, but DVD on bus about eruption helped. Pendleton excursion definitely not worth it, would have preferred to remain on board. We ...